--- title: Can foreigners enter Hollywood? date: "2021-12-21T13:25:46Z" lastmod: "2022-02-02T10:01:36Z" categories: - data wp_id: 3222 description: "Co-star network analysis suggests that while breaking into Hollywood is hard for foreigners, Hollywood is still more internationally connected than most major film industries." keywords: ["Hollywood", "foreign actors", "actor networks", "film industry", "data analysis", "global cinema"] --- ![Can foreigners enter Hollywood?](/blog/assets/image-68.webp) [An aspiring Malaysian actor posted on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/acting/comments/85rhne/my_chances_of_entering_hollywood/): > I am a 18-year old biracial Malaysian kid who wants to be an actor in Hollywood. I'm taking a diploma for performing arts in a college called Sunway University in 8 days and I'm considering pulling out of it because why do something that I like when my dreams might never be fulfilled and the price for taking this diploma is seriously expensive. I am starting to doubt my chances of making it to Hollywood and I suffer from extreme anxiety. Is it possible for someone like me to enter Hollywood? What are my chances? Breaking into Hollywood is hard. As a foreigner, it would be even harder. So I asked myself: ## Do Hollywood actors act with foreigners? Let's take [Will Smith](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000226/). He frequently acts with [Martin Lawrence](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001454/), [Tommy Lee Jones](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000169/), [Jaden Smith](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1535523/), [Jon Voight](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000685/), and 84 other actors. His every co-star is a Hollywood actor, except the Spanish actor [Jordi Mollà](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003244/) in [Bad Boys II](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172156/), and the Dutch actor [Marwan Kenzari](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3092471/) in [Aladdin](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6139732/). **Will Smith acts with just 2% of foreign co-stars.** ![](/blog/assets/image-66.webp) On the other hand, [Jackie Chan](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000329/) is more cosmopolitan. He acts with: - Chinese actors like [Yuen Siu-Tin](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0803298/) in [Drunken Master](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080179/) - Hollywood actors like [Chris Tucker](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000676/) in [Rush Hour](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120812/) - Japanese actors like [Kumiko Goto](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0331822/) in [City Hunter](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103950/) -- which is based on a [Japanese Manga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Hunter) of the same name. - South Korean actors like [Su-cheon Bae](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1163187/) in [Huo shao shao lin men](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077277/) -- a Korean/Mandarin film - Indian actors like [Disha Patani](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7796669/) in [Kung Fu Yoga](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4217392/) - an Indo-Chinese film - Spanish actors like [Eva Cobo](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167938/) in [Operation Condor](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099558/) - shot in Spain - Danish actors like [Pilou Asbæk](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1561982/) in the upcoming film [Snafu](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6879446/) Of his 224 co-stars, 70 are non-Chinese. **Jackie Chan acts with over 30% foreign co-stars.** ![](/blog/assets/image-67.webp) Are Chinese films be more foreigner-friendly? Should our Malaysian friend try there instead? ## Is Hollywood less open to foreigners than other countries? I took all movie actors across the world and broke them into groups using a [community structure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_structure). Actors within the group act mostly within themselves, and less with other groups. The largest group is Hollywood, with ~80,000 actors (mostly American). They act with each other **90%** of the time and act with other groups only 10% of the time. ![](/blog/assets/image-68.webp) In comparison, the Chinese group has ~20,000 actors. They act with each other **98%** of the time. When they do act outside the group, it’s mostly with Hollywood (0.5%), Japanese (0.3%), South Korean (0.3%), and Indonesian (0.1%) Clearly, Jackie Chan is more the exception than the norm. ![](/blog/assets/image-69.webp) But among the large groups, there are 2 groups that are even more insular than Chinese actors. The ~8,200 **Turkish actors act only with each other 99.1% of the time**, occasionally venturing to act with Iranian actors (0.2%). Even more insular are the ~7,000 **Filipino actors who act with each other 99.3% of the time**. They occasionally venture out to act in Hollywood 0.2% of the time. There are no other sizeable groups of actors that're as insulated. ![](/blog/assets/image-70-600x381.webp) Hollywood is actually among the most cosmopolitan groups, along with the West European films. So, to our budding Malaysian actor, I'd say: > It's hard to get an acting break. As a foreigner, it's 10 times harder in Hollywood. But you're better off in Hollwood or Western Europe than in any other country, where it would be 50 to 100 times as hard! --- ## Comments - **[How isolated is Bollywood from world cinema? - S Anand](http://www.s-anand.net/blog/how-isolated-is-bollywood-from-world-cinema/)** _5 Jan 2022 3:35 pm_ _(pingback)_: […] These are the major group actors based on who they act with most. […] - **[I tested the best ways to mail people - S Anand](http://www.s-anand.net/blog/i-tested-the-best-ways-to-mail-people/)** _6 Jan 2022 11:32 am_ _(pingback)_: […] write more about did 100% worse at #4 than #2 (4.4% down to 0%) […] - **Vidyasekar** _21 Dec 2021 7:15 pm_: I don't know whether it has a business value or not. But it gives a hammer shot on the head and looks at the Cinema industry and its behaviors. - **[My Year in 2021 - S Anand](http://www.s-anand.net/blog/my-year-in-2021/)** _2 Jan 2022 1:36 pm_ _(pingback)_: […] On learning, I discovered network clusters. My PyCon talk on movie networks is the start of a fascinating exploration of actors that I’ll write more about. […] - **Vinu** _1 Jan 2022 1:08 am_: Interesting data driven view of comparing the level of tribalism (if I can use that term ) within the various film industries around the world. I wonder, though, If casting decisions are directly made by the actors or the initial production and directorial leadership. some stars will command more of a say in whom they will co-Star with and with whom they won’t… but I wonder if that’s relevant to but a small fraction. Its good mental gymnastics, but at the core, your advice is good ;) - **[How to find a Chinese actor to cast in Hollywood - S Anand](/blog/how-to-find-a-chinese-actor-to-cast-in-hollywood/)** _20 Feb 2022 12:38 pm_ _(pingback)_: […] example, Hollywood actors act outside Hollywood just 10% of the time. Chinese actors act with non-Chinese actors just 1% of the […]